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Ohio State has its starting quarterback.
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said Thursday that Kansas State transfer Will Howard has won the quarterback competition and will start the season opener Aug. 31 against Akron.
Since early in training camp, it seemed just a matter of time before Howard would be named the starter. The fifth-year senior took most of the reps with the starters in practices open to reporters and looked in command of the offense.
“(Offensive coordinator) Chip (Kelly) has done a great job of rolling the quarterbacks from the first day of spring all the way to now, so you’re talking about 27-28 practices,” Day said. “When you take the aggregate of all the numbers, Will graded out significantly ahead of the other guys.”
Will Howard (18) has beaten out Devin Brown (33) for the Ohio State starting quarterback job.
Howard had been shaky during the spring, but since then he has reshaped his body by losing 15 pounds and tweaked his throwing mechanics.
“Will has really taken command of the offense,” Day said. “You feel him in the huddle. You feel his experience. He did a really good job, as we’ve talked about, of changing his body in the offseason. He’s become a threat, both with his legs and with his arm. The more he understands what he’s doing out there, he’s executing very well. I think the guys are excited when he gets in the huddle.”
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Devin Brown, who’s in his third year in the OSU system, had a strong spring and looked like he might pose a serious challenge to Howard in training camp. Instead, Howard asserted himself, earning praise from teammates and coaches.
Day said Brown is the top backup for now, but that competition will continue. The Buckeyes have another scrimmage on Saturday. Day…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-coach-ryan-day-202548724.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-08-15 20:25:48
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